Time to Return and Renew

This month, Jews all around the world will celebrate the beginning of year 5782. Celebrating Rosh Hashanah allows us to gain insights through an honest, deep reflection on our life in all its facets. We learn from past mistakes and make resolutions for the future, always striving to be our best.
First, I try to connect to my creator through meditation, prayer, or being in solitude in nature. By disconnecting from outside noises, I listen to the still voice in me and become aware of my higher power. Then I review my relationship with my loved ones. Do we have a miscommunication pattern? Am I taking responsibility and apologizing for my hurtful words and actions? Not only do I ask for their forgiveness, but I also make sure to not repeat that behavior. It’s more important to live in truth than the need to always be right.
Rather than dwelling on our mistakes, we can take this opportunity to learn from them. We delete and refresh. It’s okay to make mistakes as we grow and improve ourselves. These mistakes motivate us and help us get to where we are meant to be. They help refine our character so we can be our best self.
The main idea in this soul-searching process is to return to the center – do a Teshuva. Find a balance. Realize that if you know you messed up, you know how to fix it. The power to correct is already within each of us.
Shalom means wholeness in Hebrew. When the world is fragmented and fractured, it needs healing and repair to return it to its original state. By doing mitzvot, good deeds as core values, donating our money or time, reaching out to our community and our environment, we make things wholesome again for the greater good.
Next, remember daily to show yourself love as much as you show others. Self-love isn’t selfish. Forgive yourself. Connect to your light and believe you can shine from within. You are a wonderful being, born with God-given talents and capable of doing incredible miracles in your life. Get out of the rut. Focus on new goals without procrastination. Connect to people that lift your spirit. Reward yourself for staying motivated and keeping these resolutions and ultimately, you’ll live your best life. With daily intention toward personal transformation, you will live an authentic inspired life. George Eliot said, “our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds”. With blessings of shalom, have a happy, healthy new year filled with uplifting moments of joy and inspiration.
Naomi Young is an educator of Jewish studies and a Bar/ Bat mitzvah tutor in Santa Clarita for 39 years. She is also a published writer and an artist. Contact her at naomiyoung7@yahoo.com. Visit her art website at www.naomiyoung.com.